2012 nissan murano Reviews and News

First introduced in 2003, the Nissan Murano was on the vanguard of the move to crossovers, with buyers not so much coming out of SUVs but passenger cars. Trailing in its wake came the Toyota Venza, the Ford Edge, and the Honda Crosstour, to name a few. Redesigned for 2009, the Murano's styling became more, well, pronounced -- with a pointy, shovel-faced grille and a rounded rear -- but it retained the same general proportions.

Based on the Altima

The Murano's mechanical package has changed little in all that time. This crossover is based on the midsize unibody architecture that also underpins the Altima (and, now, the new Pathfinder as well). Nissan's familiar -- and ubiquitous -- 3.5-liter V-6 provides the motivation. The normally aspirated engine's 260 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque are hardly headline-making numbers, but they prove to be adequate for motivating the Murano, which weighs 4163 pounds in its top-line, all-wheel-drive trim.

CVT Engineered to a T

Nissan is particularly committed to the continuously variable automatic transmission, which has been offered in the Murano since the beginning, and is the only transmission choice today. Fortunately, Nissan's considerable experience with this transmission means that the company's engineers have been able to tune it to pleasantly emulate the operation of the conventional automatic. Under acceleration, instead of zinging the tach needle to the top of the rev range and holding it there, the CVT lets engine revs climb naturally as the car gathers speed. The result is less annoying engine droning -- but also fairly quick acceleration, although off-the-line performance leaves something to be desired.

Fuel Economy No Longer Fab

Whereas in its early years, the CVT helped the Murano post some of the best EPA numbers in its class, most all of the newer entries have now passed it by. The Murano's 18 mpg city figure may be par for the course for six-cylinder crossovers, but its highway ratings of 24 mpg (front-wheel drive) and 23 mpg (all-wheel drive) lag behind nearly all comers, including the Edge, the Crosstour, and the Venza.

Comfy Cabin

The Murano interior, on the other hand, gives away nothing to its competitors. The cabin doesn't have the widebody feel of a Ford Edge, but actually seems more space-efficient, as there's lot of room for legs, feet, and heads, both up front and in the rear seats. Ingress and egress are super easy, with a low step-over height and narrow door sills. The Murano prioritizes for passenger space more so than ultimate cargo capacity; the luggage floor is high and the rounded rear end restricts the size of bulky objects that can be carried. The rear seatbacks, however, fold easily.

The cabin of my LE test car was quite plush, as well it ought to be given this fully loaded, top-of-the-line Murano's sticker price of $44,000. There are big, soft chairs, and armrests and door panels are deeply padded. The huge, dual-pane sunroof brightens the interior considerably. The wood trim, however, seems like kind of an afterthought, and is unlikely to keep Audi designers up at night. The very straightforward layout of all the controls is welcome, and Nissan persists with its touch screen supplemented by a redundant center knob controller and lots of buttons for specific functions. Although this approach may not wow showroom goers in the same way as the iPad-style MyFord Touch or Cadillac's new CUE interface, it's actually far more intuitive and much easier to use while driving. Here's hoping Nissan resists the pressure to scrap it in favor of a trendier, less functional alternative. The navigation system works well, but is pricey at $2020, where it's the major component in the Platinum Edition package, along with Bluetooth audio (Bluetooth phone is standard on all but the Murano S), 20-inch wheels, and a rear bumper cover. (Navigation also can be had outside of the Platinum Edition package for $1850.) A backup camera is standard -- again, on all but the S -- but some of the latest driver aids, like a blind-spot warning system and lane departure warning, are missing. They will be joining the options list for 2013.

Nissan is wise in attempting to keep the Murano as up-to-date as possible, because this early entrant in the crossover derby is still a quite capable all-rounder. Highway fuel economy could be better, but otherwise the Murano offers sedan buyers seeking a higher perch much of what they're looking for.

When the Murano debuted in 2003, hip and trendy crossovers were still a relatively new paradigm. Fast forward to 2012, and numerous other stylish crossovers merit cross-shopping with the Nissan. The Murano, however, is an agreeable choice for buyers who want a sensible mid-size SUV with a dose of style. All the exterior creases and angles make for a pleasing design, even if the masculine styling is starting to look dated after eight years on the market. A wide chrome-and-mesh grille and triangular headlights make a smart impression from the front, with rounded-triangle taillights and a roof spoiler that accentuates the Murano's rear. Passenger and luggage space are surprisingly generous, and thanks to a 2009 redesign, the quality of the interior materials has been improved. The seats are especially plush and comfortable. The dashboard layout is simple in both design and usability. There is plenty of room for carrying bulky items when the rear seats are folded, although the lift-over height is relatively high. The 3.5-liter V-6 engine and the continuously variable transmission provide smooth, powerful acceleration while returning decent fuel economy. Both front- and all-wheel-drive configurations are available. Tech options like touch-screen navigation and a Bose sound system are easy to use; a DVD player with screens mounted in the front-seat headrests also is available. Even though it's one of the oldest vehicles in its segment, the Murano still feels like a fresh, smart crossover.

To cope with the high value of the Japanese Yen, Nissan may move production of its Murano crossover and Murano CrossCabriolet convertible from Japan to Tennessee. Automotive News reports that when a new version of the Murano is launched in 2014, Nissan could start building American-spec versions of it at the Nissan's factory in Smyrna, Tennessee.
Nissan builds about 90 percent of all Muranos sold worldwide in Japan, with the remaining ten percent split between plants in Russia and China. The high value of the Japanese Yen, however, means it's becoming less and less profitable for Nissan to export Japanese-made cars to other countries. That's especially problematic for selling the Murano in the U.S., as the Dollar-Yen exchange rate eats at the car's profit margins. The Murano is Nissan's seventh most-popular model here, selling 35,637 units so far this year, up 4.2 percent from the first eight months of 2011.
Nissan admits to the problem of selling Japanese-built cars outside its homeland, but struggles with an official goal of maintaining domestic production of at one million units annually. Despite the desire to protect its own nation's workforce, Nissan seems to recognize that it must reconsider shifting production.
"With the Yen stubbornly close to record highs first seen after the 2008 financial crisis, it's never been tougher for the nation's auto and electronics manufacturers to produce competitively at home," the company said in a press release.
The Smyrna, Tennessee factory already builds the Nissan Altima, Leaf, Maxima, Pathfinder, and Rogue, plus the Infiniti JX35. Nissan also has a plant in Canton, Mississippi that assembles the Altima, Armada, Frontier, NV, Sentra, Titan, and Xterra.
Sources: Automotive News, Nissan

I like the fact that, when I got in the Murano, the ergonomics were all so transparent. I needed to adjust the sideview mirrors, and my left hand went up to the door panel and immediately found an easy-to-use twist dial for adjusting the mirrors. I needed to adjust the steering wheel, and my left hand immediately found a power tilt-and-telescope button on the left side of the steering column. I needed to adjust the seat, and my left hand then immediately found the seat control on the outboard edge of the seat bottom, and there was no fumbling around trying to figure out how to use it; it was immediately obvious. I wanted to turn on the seat heater, and I found the seat heater button in a microsecond. I wanted to hook up my phone to Bluetooth, and that took only about 15 seconds. These things go a long way toward everyday usability.

2012 Nissan Murano LE AWD

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Sound & Entertainment

Warranty

Recalls

Recall Date

12-31-1969:21:35:20

Component

TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

Summary

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 MURANO AND ROGUE VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 23, 2011 THROUGH JANUARY 11, 2012. DURING ASSEMBLY, THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) WAS NOT ACTIVATED. THUS, THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138,¿TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM.¿

Consequences

A NON-ACTIVE TPMS CANNOT WARN A DRIVER THAT A TIRE IS UNDERINFLATED. UNDERINFLATED TIRES CAN RESULT IN TIRE OVERLOADING AND OVERHEATING, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A BLOWOUT AND POSSIBLE CRASH.

Remedy

ALL OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES ARE STILL IN DEALER INVENTORY. DEALERS HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO ACTIVATE ALL OF THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS.